I adore my Sanskrit Teacher

She starts and ends each class with prayers. She always includes 1-2 SubhAShitas towards the end. She also includes Sanskrit riddles to solve. She makes it fun all the way.

Some of the moral verses, that I really love from her collection are:

वने रणे शत्रुजलाग्नि मध्ये महार्णवे पर्वतमस्तके वा
सुप्तं प्रमत्तं विषमस्थितं वा रक्षन्ति पुण्यानि पुराकृतानि
- नीतिशतक

In forests, in battles, amongst enemies, amidst water or fire, in vast oceans or on the mountain peaks, while asleep, awake or in danger – dharma (good acts) protect you.

In school, all my teachers were so personal and affectionate. In engineering college, except for few rest were close. In PG college, it got reversed, it was only with few professors, with whom went on for hours without noticing time. In the last class, ma’m gave 2 wonderful SubhAshitas.

In 2006, I had to buy a new shelf to accommodate my sis’s 5 years of dental books pertaining only to UG degree. Her PG books and zerox copies are even more voluminous. And she still has 2 cartons of her dental books at home. Yes’day as she was packing, she said, yes, you right. Look at this tome, it is so fresh even after years. I had quoted madam’s verse few days before to her. I used to accumulate books. However, realized practical difficulties of hoarding when you live out suitcases for years. At times, it is better to be like Paulo Coelho’s character who reads a book at a time and exchanges it to get a new one to peruse.

पुस्तकस्था तु या विद्या परहस्तगतं धनम् |
कार्यकाले समुत्पन्ने न सा विद्या न तद्धनम् ||

Knowledge which is in the book, money which has passed on to another hand - in times of need, they are neither your knowledge nor money.

आचार्यात् पादमादत्ते पादं शिष्य: स्वमेधया |
कालेन पादमादत्ते पादं सब्रह्मचारिभि: ||
- महाभारत, उद्योगपर्व

A student acquires quarter knowledge from the teacher, a quarter from his own intelligence, a quarter over time, a quarter from classmates.

Eventful Varalakshmi Vratham

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My sis had been on her feet for the past 2-3 days, so much cleaning, thanks to estate wide outer white washing yes’day. And special house cleaning for varalakshmi vratham.

Special Pooja Lunch

Mom usually comes home for lunch around 12:35-45 pm. On a typical day, we start preparing a lunch of sambar kootu a little after 12 pm and lunch would be ready piping hot just as she steps in. Today, however sis took charge of shopping for vegetables and cooking for the goddess and I just did helping around. I opted to fry the humble ulundu vadais and ended up with a hot oil drop on my instep. My pranic healing teachers mentioned how they had healed the hot oil spill burn during diwali murukku preparation. Tomorrow will tell whether my self-healing was effective.

After puja, it was nice virundhu on verdant banana leaves complete with vada, payasam, poriyal, sambar, rasam, curd. Married ladies came home luckily during lunch hour, so that we could serve them something. We would talk about having agreement with African nations for buying minerals and transferring technology and do nothing (so far) about Somalian famine. India and China would go on talking about double digit food inflation. With impending lorry strike and rotting grains in godowns, supply chain bottlenecks (wonder how effective Mega Food Parks are), our home minister would say food inflation is because of ‘sustained demand'. Demand for food is basic, fundamental, not everyone is a sanyasi to live on air for a lifetime without food or water. Am not able to recollect the name of the old lady in ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ who went without food and water rest of her life, since her MIL scolded her for eating too much, when she was still a child bride. Wondering, if Food security bill would ever come out of paper clutter. Funny world, when our ministers interchange nationality of octogenarian prisoner, prioritize commerce over health. Some tamasha indeed.


Earthquake

Around 11:30 a.m., I was sprawled on the sofa and my sister was standing and for a split second, I felt a swoosh, as if the sofa was shoved. I asked my sister, if she felt it and she replied no. I just left it at that. During lunch, calls started pouring in from my bil and sil from Sriperumbudur, asking about earthquake. Wonder what happened to our home that is still under finishing patchups, which does not have any earthquake resistant structural support.

This is the second time, I have felt tremors. The first time was early morning during December 26, 2004 tsunami. I was too lazy to even get up from my sleep, in spite of the floor shaking. If just 3+ can crack buildings like this, my thoughts ran back to 8.9 in Japan on March 11 and the 5.9 one yesterday. And how Tagore and others reprimanded Gandhiji for his statement that ‘earthquake was providential retribution for India’s failure to eradicate untouchability’ during 1934 Bihar earthquake.